South Dakota State closes out a stretch of 12 games over a week-long stretch starting on Thursday when the Jackrabbits participate in the Mizzou Invitational at the University of Missouri. SDSU opens play with a noon game versus Princeton, followed by a 2:30 p.m. Thursday game against the host Tigers at Mizzou Softball Stadium.Â
The Jacks are coming off a five-game stay at Nebraska's Big Red Spring Fling, along with a two-game showing in St. Louis, during their current road trip. SDSU has won six of the seven games its played in with its lone loss an extra innings defeat at nationally-ranked Nebraska. The Jackrabbits have won seven of their last eight contests and sit 12-13 overall on the season.Â
SDSU most recently scored double digits on Tuesday in victories at Saint Louis (10-1) and Northern Illinois (15-6).
Mia Jarecki and
Akayla Barnard had five RBI performances at the plate, respectively, in SDSU's pair of wins. Jarecki did so by hitting two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, in one inning.
Akayla Barnard is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, while
Emma Vike (12) and
Brooke Dumont (10) have the Jackrabbits' longest active reached base streaks.
South Dakota State has a small bit of history against the entire Mizzou Invitational field. The Jackrabbits are 2-2 all-time against Princeton, 1-0 against Quinnipiac and 0-2 versus Michigan. The Jacks are 0-6 against the Mizzou Tigers. Their most recent loss came nearly two weeks ago on March 1, a 10-1 defeat at the Shocker Invitational. SDSU was able to produce just two hits in the loss against the Tigers and pitcher Taylor Pannell.
Sitting atop the Jackrabbits' hitting chart in multiple categories through 25 games is
Abby Gentry. The sophomore third baseman is hitting a team-best .426 and is leading SDSU in on-base percentage (.536), hits (29) and RBis (23).Â
Three other Jacks that are currently part of the everyday lineup that hit over .300 include Dumont (.391), Vike (.340) and Jarecki (.303). Dumont sits among the program's career top 10 chart in five different categories while Jarecki does in eight.Â
Despite the team's graduation of a strong senior class, SDSU's lineup has had a strong 25-game start to the 2025 season. SDSU's on-base percentage of .398 ranks sixth all-time currently, its slugging percentage of .491 currently ranks seventh, while the team's batting average of .296 is the best for the program since 2022.
SDSU's pitching staff has a combined 4.55 ERA through 160 innings thrown through 25 games.
Amanda Vacanti has a team-low 3.41 ERA.
Tayler Baker has accounted for the most innings pitched by a Jackrabbit with 42 in her freshman season.
Coverage Information
South Dakota State's game versus Mizzou will be streamed on SEC Network+. Live stats for the five games the Jackrabbits play in are available on the South Dakota State schedule page. For more information about Jackrabbit softball, you can follow the team social media accounts (@GoJacksSB) or visit the team page at GoJacks.com.
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